Jeffrey's questions:
"When you're wanting to make a radical change in your work life or advance your best ideas, how much collaboration do you need, and how much time alone is best for you to generate and then advance your best ideas?”
In her book, The Creative Habit, celebrated choreographer Twyla Tharp suggests that “a clearly stated and consciously shared purpose is the foundation of great collaboration.” What else do you need to facilitate a successful collaboration? What role does solitude play in allowing you to process ideas and make meaningful contributions to the group? And how do we practice solitude in a world where technology conveniently supplies a distraction any time we feel a little uncertainty or discomfort?
Jeffrey is at the roundtable with mindfulness teacher and author Leo Babauta and award-winning author, speaker and business consultant Pam Slim to explore the characteristics of a successful collaboration and the necessity of solitude as a critical part of the process. Pam and Leo both share the radical transformations that led them to become entrepreneurs and their experiences with the collaborative nature of sharing your writing with an online community. They speak to challenge of embracing uncertainty rather than retreating into your cell phone—and the liberation that comes with opening your heart to discomfort.
Key Takeaways[3:57] Pam & Leo’s young genius moments
[9:23] Leo’s time of radical change
[18:08] Pam’s journey of radical change
[27:18] Pam’s take on successful collaborative efforts
[33:11] The characteristics of optimal collaboration
[47:46] The significance of solitude
[56:37] How we use our phones to avoid uncertainty, discomfort
[1:03:10] Pam’s advice for executives around allowing for solitude
The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life by Twyla Tharp
“Just Think: The Challenges of the Disengaged Mind” by Timothy D. Wilson, et al.
Solitude: A Singular Life in a Crowded World by Michael Harris